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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29832594">noceur</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/when_the_rain_came/pseuds/when_the_rain_came'>when_the_rain_came</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Flash (TV 2014)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Barry Allen Whump, Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Good Parent Joe West, Hurt Barry Allen, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Panic Attacks</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:20:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,241</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29832594</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/when_the_rain_came/pseuds/when_the_rain_came</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Set early Season 1</p><p>The pressure that comes with being the Flash is starting to weigh on him.<br/>Barry Allen is feeling a little adrift amongst the changes he's missed during his nine month coma and swift leap to superhero-status, and isn't quite sure how to address it all. Luckily, his support networks have also changed since the particle accelerator blast and getting injured on a rescue mission may be the only way to get him to realise that the burden he bears doesn't have to be carried alone.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Where There's Smoke...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Its been many, MANY years since I've delved into the world of fanfiction. Don't get me wrong, I've been on and off reading through various fandoms over the years but I'm pretty sure I wrote my last fanfic thirteen or fourteen years ago...<br/>I mean, I'm not old. At all. But now I feel old! </p><p>I'll probably get around to uploading some of my past fanfics (mainly Supernatural) at some stage, so keep an eye out for them if you like my writing at all and are interested. I have some stuff on ff.net under a different username that I'll probably look at moving over to here :) </p><p>I actually got into The Flash completely by accident - the genre isn't one that I'm generally drawn to, but the kids I work with started watching it and it piqued my interest. Watched it on my own from the beginning and was hooked. Binged all six seasons over like, a month. I love the characters and their development and the complexity of the storyline! Anyways, I had no intention of really writing my own in this fandom as I'm generally far happier doing the reading, but I noticed some snippets (particularly during the first season) of scenes and lines that I was curious to develop and explore, but stupidly didn't make a note of them at the time. I'm currently watching the first season again and making notes, so hopefully over the next few months I'll start posting again! Decent-length oneshots are generally my jam, so thought I'd launch myself into the deep end and start with a short-ish multichap to kick things off. </p><p>I was much better at writing in high school too - I'm incredibly rusty and out of practice! Even university essays were a long time ago. Go gentle if you decide to review...although I'd love to hear your thoughts!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>Barry Allen sighed and leaned back in his chair, carding a hand through his hair. He could feel weariness tugging at his subconscious; the late nights he’d been pulling on Flash duty as well as the long hours at his day job were starting to wear him down a little. Not that he’d change anything, mind you. Superspeed definitely helped lighten his caseload by the end of the day.</p><p>He glanced up as the door to his lab opened, the stuffy breeze from the precinct below drifting in behind Iris as she used her hip to bump the door shut behind her.</p><p>‘Hey!’ She greeted cheerfully, striding over to him and placing a takeaway cup from Jitters in front of him. ‘I’m meeting Dad for lunch, he said you’d probably appreciate this. Something about looking like death warmed over.’</p><p>Barry groaned appreciatively, lifting the cup to his lips and inhaling the slightly bitter aroma of his coffee before taking a sip. Iris stood behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders, kneading the knots that were <em>definitely </em>left over from the metahuman he’d tangled with last night.</p><p>‘You doing okay?’ She asked quietly.</p><p>Barry huffed out a breath. ‘Yeah, I’m fine. Singh has me on a tight timeframe with getting some of these cases finished, and I haven’t been getting much sleep lately.’Well, it wasn’t a <em>lie, </em>as such.</p><p>Iris’ fingers stilled from their ministrations. ‘Nightmares?’</p><p>Barry turned his head and smiled gently at his best friend. ‘No, not really. Haven’t had them as much since I woke up from the coma, actually.’ He turned his desk chair around to face her as she stepped back a little, catching her barely-concealed flinch when he mentioned the coma. It was still a raw nerve for Joe and Iris, and Barry had been catching more and more glimpses of the trauma they went through in the past nine months. ‘Just had a lot on my mind lately, and a lot of catching up to do.’</p><p>Iris nodded in understanding, flashing him a smile. ‘Well, I’m glad to hear that!’ She frowned slightly. ‘Not about the not-sleeping, but that you haven’t been having nightmares.’ She raked her gaze over his face, taking in the slight bags under his eyes and his pinched features. The crease in his forehead was a little more prominent than it had been prior to the lightening strike.</p><p>Barry quirked his lips. ‘Its okay, I got what you mean.’</p><p>He glanced over at the centrifuge when it beeped. Standing up, he navigated around Iris and lifted the lid, pulling the latest vial free and setting it down in a holder. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Iris glance at her watch. She sighed lightly. ‘Anyways Bear, I gotta go. Dad’s downstairs waiting, and he doesn’t have very long for lunch. I think Singh’s stressing out about productivity or something, and it’s stressing Dad out in turn.’</p><p>Barry gave her an understanding grin. ‘That, I’ll agree with!’ He stepped towards her for a hug. ‘Thanks for the coffee, you’re a total lifesaver.’</p><p>Iris gave him a squeeze. ‘You’re very welcome. See you at home later? Eddie’s gone to see his parents in Keystone for a few days so I’m all yours for a few evenings.’</p><p>Barry fought the urge to roll his eyes at the mention of Eddie and carefully schooled his expression. ‘Sounds good! Been a while since we had a movie or games night. I think Joe’s home tomorrow evening, all going well, and I’m still keen for a Monopoly rematch.’ He raised an eyebrow at her.</p><p>Iris turned on her heel with a sly grin. ‘You’re on, Allen!’ She shot over her shoulder as she sauntered out the door.</p><p>Barry remained standing after she’d left, breathing in the faint but lingering scent of her perfume as it drifted after her.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Barry shook his head to clear the fatigue before glancing at the clock.</p><p>He sighed heavily when he realised it hadonly been twenty minutes since his last check, and glared at the minute hands moving tauntingly slowly.<em>The downside to superspeed, </em>he mused. <em>Everything moves so slowly.</em></p><p>He stretched his arms behind his back, face twitching slightly as his spine popped and his muscles stretched. The coffee Iris bought him earlier had been delicious, but the effects of the caffeine had been very short-lived due to his increased metabolism. He should really get Cisco or Caitlin onto coming up with something to fix that, especially if he was going to be pulling these hours on the regular.</p><p>His phone vibrated on his desk and he spun to face it. <em>Speak of the devil, </em>he thought as he read Cisco’s latest 911.He glanced at the stack of completed files on his desk. He’d finished a decent amount of work today, despite his tiredness. Any more, and he’d probably make Singh suspicious. He wasn’t expecting anyone to come up to his lab in the next half hour, and figured he could probably zip out, attend the call from STAR Labs and be back before anyone noticed his absence.</p><p>He nodded to himself, switching off his computer and shrugging his jacket on in a blink. Stuffing his phone in his pocket, he cracked the door open, made sure the coast was clear and zipped off in the direction of STAR Labs. He felt a little bit of energy trickle back into his senses while he ran and allowed himself a grin; <em>this </em>is what made him feel alive.</p><p>He skidded to a stop moments later in the cortex, a handful of papers fluttering to the ground upon his arrival. ‘Hey guys, what have we got?’</p><p>Caitlin was all business as she studied the screen in front of her. ‘Reports of a fire in an office building downtown. Sounds like it may be a premeditated attack, unsure if it’s a metahuman though.’ She glanced up at him, worriedly. ‘Barry, there’s a lot of people in there, and the building is pretty old.’</p><p>Barry felt his heart rate increase. He quickly looked over Caitlin’s shoulder at the street cam footage on the screen, his stomach dropping slightly as he took in the flames already billowing from some of the blown-out windows in the multi-storey complex.</p><p>‘Fire crews and police are on their way, but they’re not going to be fast enough to get everyone out.’ Caitlin was tense, her fingers unconsciously gripping the edge of the desk. This was going to be a big job and she worried about the potential number of casualties if Barry wasn’t fast enough. Their partnership was still new, but she had grown fond of the enthusiastic and determined young man who she’d cared for during eight months of his coma. ‘There’s at least fifty people confirmed to still be in there, likely more.’</p><p>Cisco materialised behind them, striding quickly into the room. ‘I’ve upgraded some of the sensors in the suit,’ he informed the both of them. ‘They can monitor your vitals a little better, which gives Caitlin a bit more peice of mind,’ he grinned as Caitlin huffed indignantly. ‘as well as providing a little more heat resistance in areas you’ll likely need it, like your gloves.’Barry had flashed into his suit while Cisco was speaking. </p><p>‘I actually upgraded the heat resistance a few weeks ago after that first apartment fire you went to,’ Cisco admitted. ‘It fried a couple of the sensors, which I hadn’t accounted for.’</p><p>Barry nodded, pulling his cowl down over his head. ‘Thanks Cisco.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Right, wish me luck!’</p><p>‘Good-‘ Caitlin started. ‘…luck.’</p><p>But Barry was already gone, leaving a sheaf of fluttering papers in his wake.Caitlin huffed irritably. ‘We really need some paperweights, if this is going to be a long-term arrangement.’</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Barry ground to a halt at the back of the back of the building, gazing up at the towering flames with trepidation. By his calculations (and Cisco’s confirmation), he had two minutes - three max - to get everyone out before the flames spread or the building collapsed on itself, whichever came first.</p><p>Anxiety coiled in the pit of his stomach. He hadn’t been totally truthful when Iris had asked about his nightmares. Prior to the particle accelerator explosion, his dreams were filled with red and yellow lightning. Taking his Mom again, his dad, Joe, Iris…lately, however, the stress of his responsibilities had begun haunting his sleep. He saw the theatre attendant he’d been too slow to save from Snart’s cold gun, the metas he’d been unable to save. Faceless strangers he knew would pay the price for any future mistakes. After weeks of integrating the Flash into his personal identity, he was beginning to realise just how heavy the burden was that he was starting to carry.</p><p>Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he focused on the people who needed him <em>right now. </em>Taking a deep breath, he sped through the door on the ground floor and up the stairwell, dodging flaming piles of debris that had collapsed down from the floors above.</p><p>The world slowed down for Barry as he focused on grabbing as many people as he could find on each floor, starting from the top. Seconds ticked by as he deposited them one-by-one on the pavement, a safe distance from the inferno. He missed their bewildered glances around as their minds struggled to catch up with the abrupt change in scenery, many coughing simultaneously to clear the smoke from their lungs.</p><p>Barry was starting to sweat. The heat was nearly unbearable, but Cisco’s improvements to the suit were holding up so far. He’d managed to evacuate at least thirty people so far, but his window of time was rapidly narrowing. He was down to the sixth floor when he let out a barking cough, his head spinning slightly as he scanned the floor for civilians.</p><p><em>‘Barry?’ </em>Caitlin’s concern was palpable in his ear.</p><p>‘I’m good,’ he rasped, hand against his ear to activate his comms. ‘I’m down to the sixth floor, I don’t think there’s many people left in here and I haven’t seen any sign of the person who started it so far.’</p><p><em>‘Your oxygen levels are dropping, and quickly,’ </em>he heard Caitlin say as mustered the energy to speed through the next two floors. He didn’t respond as he deposited another two people on the sidewalk, before racing back into the blaze.</p><p>‘Nearly there,’ he muttered to himself, fighting the urge to cough. He knew once he started, it was going to be hard to stop, if the burning in his chest and throat was anything to go by.He had just reached the fourth floor when he heard the deafening crash of splintering and falling debris. Throwing his arms above his head and skittering backwards, he managed to avoid a large section of ceiling that dropped towards him from above. He felt burning chunks of wood rain down around him, singeing the suit and stinging his skin, and grimaced when chunks of concrete followed from above.</p><p>He was running out of time.</p><p>He ignored the frantic voices in his ear as he shielded his eyes from the dust and smoke, scanning the area for movement, or anything resembling a person. The collapsed ceiling had brought down more flammable material - wood, insulation, and particle board was littered around the room in haphazard piles, and the rush of air from above quickly fuelled the flames.</p><p>Barry’s head spun, and he knew he wasn’t getting nearly enough oxygen.</p><p><em>‘…cond and first floors are clear, the fire crews have confirmed,’ </em>he became aware of his team over the comms. Faintly, he registered Dr Wells giving the status report.</p><p>His hand shot to his ear, mouth opening to say ‘copy that’ but instead, he choked on the smoke and realised in a panic he couldn’t draw a complete breath.</p><p>Caitlin was back in his ear, but she sounded faint and far away over the ringing in his ears and his hacking coughs. <em>‘…need to get out of there Barry, the whole place is going to collapse!’</em></p><p>Doing his best to ignore is body’s desperate cries for oxygen, he cleared his throat and managed to rasp, ‘one more floor to check’ before mustering up his last reserves of energy to flash down to the third floor, head swivelling wildly as he searched for signs of life. He blocked out Caitlin’s frantic protests over the comms and did his best to focus his vision through the smoke, eyes streaming. After a pregnant pause, he would have sighed with relief if he could have as he realised there was no one left in the building. His vision was beginning to spot and his fingers and hands were tingling from lack of oxygen, he <em>needed </em>to get out of there.</p><p>‘Clear,’ he choked out over the comms, flashing towards the stairwell and descending towards the nearest exit. ‘Exiting the building n-‘</p><p>He had next to no warning.</p><p>The building rumbled as it collapsed inwards, gravity taking over as debris hurtled down. Barry’s exit was blocked by rubble when he was barely two feet from freedom - he had but a second to slam on the brakes and throw his arms protectively over his face as he slammed into the pile of concrete and twisted iron. He was thrown backwards on impact, hitting the ground hard.</p><p><em>This was no ordinary fire. </em>Barry had just enough time to consciously agree with Caitlin’s earlier suspicions before more concrete rained down on him. Something hard made contact with his head, and Barry knew no more.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Rescue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Whew, so I know I said I was going to have the next chapter up soon, and it's been over a week, so I'm sorry! I'm definitely going to try keeping to a posting schedule of a week or less, otherwise I'll never get anything finished. In my defence, it was a pretty hectic week for me with a tsunami threat last week, a (thankfully) short-lived bout of food poisoning, work meetings, back on shift at work (I work ridiculous hours) and my inability to say no to helping out friends...</p><p>Anyways, here's chapter two! Its so nerve-wracking uploading a story after so many years away from writing. Dialogue-rich and eventful stories are not exactly my specialty but I'm determined to write one (and hopefully do it justice), so hopefully I'm on the right track. Currently have a few introspective-type oneshots in the pipeline at the minute, so I'll finish those as I get the time. </p><p>Disclaimer: I have a basic first aid certificate and some medical knowledge, but I'm definitely taking creative liberties with any first-aid or medical related scenes in this story, so bear that in mind! Also, I have no idea if Barry's suit can monitor things like his oxygen levels, so just go with it :P</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>Caitlin stared in horror at her screen as Barry’s vitals plummeted. ‘Barry! Can you hear me?’</p><p>Cisco hovered at her shoulder, his face stricken. ‘Barry, what’s going on?’</p><p>Wells pushed his chair between the two and nudged Caitlin away, his eyebrows drawn in concentration. ‘Barry, are you there?’ He was greeted by silence on the other end. He turned to face Cisco and Caitlin. ‘Right, you two need to get the van and retrieve him before emergency services find him. We cannot compromise his identity! Hopefully the number of civilians Barry evacuated will buy you some time. Now, go!’</p><p>Caitlin paused and opened her mouth to reply, but Wells cut her off. ‘I’ll prep the med bay, Ms. Snow. You two need to hurry.’</p><p>Wells turned back to the computer in front of him, noting the sharp drop in Barry’s vitals. Cisco and Caitlin hurried from the room towards the elevator that led to the basement garage. ‘I don’t think Mr. Allen has much time…’ he muttered to himself.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Caitlin gripped the armrest of the van as Cisco piloted them at breakneck speed through some of the back streets of Central City. Her mind was racing too, and she felt sick. They hadn’t lost Ronnie that long ago, and she’d protected herself since by closing herself off from everyone. She told herself that it was just giving her some space and time to heal, but she’d spent countless hours lying awake in bed, attempting to quash the voice in her head that admitted that she’d only just started to heal after Barry had woken up from the coma. He’d somehow managed to infect them all with his seemingly limitless, goofy enthusiasm. Cisco had made a valiant effort to break through the walls she’d put up, but in the end even he’d quieted down, offering silent support but opting to spend his time tinkering in his workshop. Barry had helped break down those walls and had brought them all closer together, Caitlin realised this now. He was one of the reasons she now felt like she had a <em>family, </em>for the first time in a really long time.</p><p>Cisco glanced across at his friend’s pale face. ‘He’ll be okay, Cait.’ Quietly, more to himself than anything, ‘he’s gotta be.’</p><p>Caitlin’s eyes flickered to meet his, but all she could give him was a weak nod.</p><p>Glancing down at her GPS, she tracked their movements. ‘One minute out. Take the next…left, there should be space at the back of the building. His suit says he’s basically at the rear service exit.’</p><p>Cisco nodded sharply, slinging the van to the left with a screech of tires. ‘Got it!’ He exclaimed, spying the entrance to the alley.</p><p>The building was partially collapsed. Around ten storeys had been decimated, leaving three standing from the bottom and a ton of concrete, twisted rebar and debris piled throughout the wreckage and spilling on to the street below. Caitlin was mute with horror as Cisco dodged chunks of concrete and squealed to a stop outside the exit Barry’s location was pinging from. Mentally, she slapped herself. <em>Focus.</em></p><p>The biologist and the engineer launched themselves from the vehicle. There was some debris littered around the outside of the door, but not enough to prevent it from opening. Caitlin shoved some of it away and Cisco reached for the handle.</p><p><em>‘AH!’ </em>Cisco hissed, wrenching his hand back from the door. The metal was hot to the touch, and his fingers and palm stung. Shrugging his over-shirt off, he balled it up and used it to wrench the door open. As soon as he did, debris and smoke that had been piled up behind the door spilled out into the alley, forcing Cisco and Caitlin to jump back. Before Cisco could blink, Caitlin had rushed forward, pulling her shirt up over her mouth, and was peering over the top of the rubble. Cisco followed her. ‘Do you see anything?’</p><p>Caitlin was silent for a second as she scanned the hazy interior of the stairwell. Her eyes fell on a dark patch of red, barely visible under what looked like some smaller chunks of concrete and a section of ceiling. She grabbed Cisco’s sleeve roughly and pointed. ‘There!’</p><p>Cisco’s eyes widened as he registered what he was seeing. ‘Oh, that is <em>not </em>good.’</p><p>Caitlin was already climbing over the concrete piled in the doorway. Fortunately, Barry was lying a few feet from the door, clear of the wreckage that had blocked his escape, so Caitlin knew she wouldn’t be putting pressure on any of the debris that landed on him. Cisco was right behind her. She landed lightly on the other side, rushing over to where she’d spotted part of Barry’s suit. She fell to her knees beside him. ‘Barry? Barry! Can you hear me?’ There was no reply. The part of his suit that was visible was his right shoulder, and his side, but his head and the rest of him was hidden from view still. She dragged her phone out of her pocket, immensely grateful for Cisco’s app which allowed her to get a read on Barry’s suit remotely. His vitals were all over the place, but he was alive.</p><p>Cisco got to work beside her, pulling away chunks of drywall and some of the smaller chunks of concrete. Caitlin caught his arm, warning him, ‘Just be careful. We don’t know what his injuries are and adding or removing pressure from shifting this stuff could make them worse.’</p><p>Cisco resumed his efforts, albeit a little more slowly. Caitlin cleared away some space on the floor where she’d have easier access to Barry once he was free. She heard Cisco grunt. ‘I’m gonna need a little help here.’ He rasped. A large sheet of drywall from one of the floors above was obscuring their friend, and without much room to manoeuvre, it was definitely going to be a two-man job to shift. At least.</p><p>Caitlin stood, watching Cisco pick his way gingerly to the other side, squeezing between the concrete wall and the slab of drywall. He grasped one edge and nodded to her side. ‘Lift that side there, so that we can lift it off him, and the bottom edge can go there-‘ he jerked his head toward the beginning of the stairs. ‘-and we should be able to stand it up and out of the way.’ Caitlin nodded grimly, gripping the tattered edge and hoping it didn’t crumble when they tried to move it. Cisco counted them in.</p><p>‘One…two…three!’</p><p>Caitlin strained under the weight, and she could hear Cisco grunting too. Slowly, they inched it off their friend, dropping one end to the ground once it was clear. It took a few minutes, but they were able to heave it off to the side and it hit the stairs, exploding into chunks and dust.</p><p>Cisco and Caitlin were both panting from exertion, and Cisco turned away with his hands on his knees to cough sharply a few times. The air was still thick and hazy, but the fact that there was no longer an additional ten storeys above them had dispersed some of the smoke.</p><p>Caitlin allowed her gaze to flit over her stricken friend, noting with subdued relief that the section of drywall had been resting on debris that had held the majority of it off Barry, just effectively trapping him. <em>Had he been conscious to notice, </em>Caitlin thought anxiously. Barry was lying on his back, the red of his suit barely visible under the soot and dust that coated him, and Caitlin knew this was going to make it a little harder to triage him. His eyes were closed, that much she could tell, and his chest was rising and falling shallowly.</p><p>Caitlin knelt beside her friend, using her sleeve to wipe the sweat and grime from around his eyes before rubbing her knuckles gently across his sternum. ‘Hey, Barry, it’s Caitlin. Can you hear me?’ Nothing. She tried again, rubbing his chest a little harder.</p><p>Barry’s face twitched imperceptibly, and he let out a breathy moan.</p><p>Caitlin moved her lips closer to Barry’s ear, speaking louder. ‘Barry, it’s Caitlin, can you hear me?’</p><p>Barry’s eyes remained closed, but his head attempted to roll towards her before sagging back into place. Caitlin saw his lips twitch, about to reply, before he choked and his body was wracked with coughs. Caitlin felt her heart constrict as she noted tears streaming from the corner of his eyes as he fought to get control of his breathing. The coughing fit subsided after what felt like an age, and Caitlin gave him a minute to concentrate on drawing thick air down his abused windpipe and into chalky lungs. Eventually his breathing slowed, still raspy and wheezy, and Caitlin thought for a moment that maybe he’s lost consciousness again. But hazy eyes cracked open and met hers, and she sighed with relief.</p><p>‘…happened?’ He croaked, shifting his limbs a fraction. Caitlin recognised the mental inventory he was doing, and watched his face carefully.</p><p>‘A building kind of…fell on you?’ She offered with a weak smile.</p><p>Barry’s head had lifted up a fraction, and she saw it sink down at the news. ‘Oh.’ He breathed. ‘Makes sense.’</p><p>‘How are you feeling?’ Caitlin asked, as she unzipped the top of his suit a fraction.</p><p>Barry looked like he was going give her a watered-down version of the truth before a grimace passed over his face. ‘Sore.’ He ground out. ‘Chest hurts, lungs hurt, left leg hurts. And I think I hit my head.’ Caitlin frowned and checked the the phone resting on the ground by her knee. Barry’s vitals had stabilised a little - his oxygen levels were still lower than she’d like but his heart rate was only slightly elevated - from stress, she deduced. She glanced back to Barry and felt a flicker of fear run through her when she noted his closed eyes.</p><p>‘Hey, hey, eyes open please.’ She nudged his shoulder gently.</p><p>‘Hm.’ Barry huffed, prying his eyes open with difficulty. ‘Tired.’</p><p>‘I know,’ Caitlin shot him a sympathetic glance. ‘I just want to check you over quickly, and then we can make a plan to get you out of here.’ She gave him a wry smile. ‘I don’t think it’d be a good idea for any EMTs to catch you in your suit.’</p><p>Barry nodded weakly and moved to sit up. Caitlin placed a steady hand on his shoulder and pushed him gently back down. ‘Just lie still until I can figure out what you’ve injured, and then we’ll get you up.’</p><p>Barry’s face had paled at the movement and sweat had broken across his brow. Caitlin was a little worried about him going into shock, but there wasn't anything she could do for him amid the rubble. They needed to get out of there. She was sweating too; it was still too hot in the confined space and the smoke was beginning to irritate her lungs. She unzipped his suit further, exposing his chest and ran light fingers over his ribs. Barry winced but held still. ‘I don’t think they’re broken,’ she muttered to herself. ‘Possibly just a fracture or two. Nothing seems displaced.’</p><p>She pulled a penlight out of her pocket, clicking it on and aiming it at the ground. ’Stare straight ahead for me?’</p><p>Barry gritted his teeth, staring at what should have been the ceiling as Caitlin checked the reactivity of his pupils. ‘You’ve definitely got a concussion,’ she sounded apologetic. ‘How are you feeling?’</p><p>‘A little nauseous,’ he admitted. ‘I have one hell of a headache too.’ He shifted uncomfortably on the ground. ‘And I’ve definitely done something to my leg.’</p><p>Caitlin nodded, shifting her attention to his lower limbs. She couldn’t tell much with the suit in the way, but nothing was at an odd angle so she took that as a good sign. His speed healing would take care of most of the damage, it was just going hurt like hell to get him out of here. ‘I can’t tell much with your suit on,’ she told him. ‘I can x-ray it at the Lab but I don’t think you’ll do too much damage to it between now and then if we’re careful.’</p><p>Cisco had crouched down beside his friends while Caitlin had been checking Barry over. ‘I hate to be the one to rush, but we need to get out of here.’ He piped up, glancing towards the open door anxiously.</p><p>Barry rolled his head towards him, something akin to surprise flitting over his face. Caitlin refrained from raising an eyebrow at his lack of awareness, obviously the concussion was affecting him more than she’d initially realised. She was grateful, at least, that he was seemingly more alert than before. ‘Cisco is right.’ she said. ‘We need to get you up and get gone.’</p><p>Barry grit his teeth and nodded. Caitlin and Cisco gripped an arm each, their free hands on his elbows to stabilise his ascent. Barry groaned, low in his throat, as he was pulled upright. His chin sagged to his chest as he drew a noisy, rattling breath, and Cisco slid an arm behind his shoulders to stabilise him. ‘You all good, man?’</p><p>Barry was silent for a second, eyes still closed. ‘Yeah.’ He wheezed. ‘Dizzy, and trying not to be sick.’</p><p>Cisco grimaced and shuffled backwards an inch. Barry raised a hand with difficulty and swiped his cowl back, and under better circumstances, Cisco would have chuckled at the panda look the mask had given Barry’s face with the grime and soot coating the exposed areas. A rivulet of blood had dried at his temple, his cowl providing some compression, but the wound began to bleed sluggishly again as the scab was pulled off with the mask. Slowly, Barry’s eyes cracked open and he drew in another shallow breath, the pain in his ribs reflected in his expression.</p><p>‘Think you’re alright to stand up?’ Cisco asked.</p><p>Barry huffed. ‘No, but I guess I need to. We’ve got to get out of here and I think I have a date with the med bay.’</p><p>Caitlin raised her eyebrows and made a noncommital sound in agreement. ‘Definitely. Let’s go.’</p><p>They slowly pulled Barry to his feet and Cisco grunted as his friend listed to one side, Barry’s face going a shade paler as he took the weight off his injured leg at the same time. ‘Holy crap,’ he groaned. Caitlin ducked under Barry’s arm on the other side of him, and helped him stand a little more upright.</p><p>‘Just don’t be sick on me,’ Cisco actually sounded concerned over the prospect, and Barry would have shot a glare at him if he wasn’t trying desperately to control his stomach. Concussions <em>sucked.</em></p><p>Voices sounded faintly from towards the front of the building, and the trio stilled. ‘Righto, time to go,’ Cisco slung Barry’s other arm over his shoulder, ignoring Barry’s soft grunt of discomfort, and started forward slowly but with urgency. Caitlin matched his speed, and Barry limped along between them, weakly attempting to keep his gaze locked on their destination.</p><p>They paused at the rubble that blocked the exit, and Barry gripped his friends’ shoulders a fraction tighter in trepidation. <em>Yeah, this was going to hurt.</em></p><p>The rescue crews sounded closer, and Cisco shot a glance at Caitlin over Barry’s chest. ‘How are we going to do this?’</p><p>Barry shrugged his arm off Caitlin’s shoulders, staggering forwards and supporting himself with a hand on a chunk of concrete in front of him. ‘I’m going to have to climb,’ he said. ‘but I’ll need your help.’</p><p>‘This is a terrible idea,’ Caitlin frowned.</p><p>‘Yeah, but it’s our only one.’ Barry pulled himself up on his hands and knees, gritting his teeth. His vision was blurry but he inched himself forward, feeling Cisco’s hand on his good hip, pushing him forward. His bad leg was in agony as he tried to keep it from touching the debris. It felt like it took an age, but he felt himself finally reach the top of the pile and he paused, closing his eyes, breathing as heavily as he dared. He heard Cisco pass him, and the sound of his feet dropping down to the ground on the other side. Caitlin wasn’t far behind him, and manoeuvred herself next to him so that she was sitting beside him, feet in front of her. He felt her hand warm his back. ‘Sorry Barry, we’ve got to move.’ she was apologetic. ‘Not much further now. We have the gurney in the van just outside the doors here, you can rest once we get you in.’</p><p>Barry nodded determinedly, ignoring the head rush it caused, and levered himself carefully into a sitting position, like Caitlin. His leg hurt like hell - he was sure it was broken - and his head throbbed in time with his heartbeat. He winced when Caitlin began barking orders. ‘Cisco, support Barry’s bad leg. I’ll help him climb down, but it’s important he doesn’t jostle it too much.’</p><p>He opened his eyes again, squinting against the glare of the light from outside. He could see the nose of the STAR Labs van from where he was sitting and he breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Cisco anchored a foot on a bit of rubble and leaned forward, gently placing a hand under Barry’s heel and supporting his leg with his other forearm. Barry winced, but slid himself downwards, ignoring the pain in his chest and letting his hands take his weight. He felt, rather than saw, Caitlin hover beside him, ready to support him if his strength failed. He was pleasantly surprised to find the descent easier, and in a couple of manoeuvres had lowered himself down, hip arched to keep his bad leg off the ground.</p><p>Cisco relinquished his careful grip on Barry’s leg as he eased it down. He straightened up, once again taking Barry’s weight while Caitlin jumped lightly to the ground beside them. The trio made their way quickly to the back of the van, Barry’s strength waning rapidly now that the hardest part was over. Caitlin wrenched the doors open and helped Cisco get Barry inside, where he all but collapsed on the gurney with a raspy groan. His body felt like one giant bruise, and he knew that it was going to be a long few hours spent in the med bay. <em>Joe is going to kill me.</em></p><p>Caitlin gently positioned his legs on the bed while Cisco jumped out, closing the doors before rushing to the drivers seat. Throwing the van in reverse, he backed out of the alley as quickly as he dared, and set course for STAR Labs, trying not to jostle the two in the back.</p><p>Barry closed his eyes, allowing his head to loll to the side. The rescue mission had thoroughly depleted his energy reserves and his limbs and his eyelids felt like they weighed a ton. He felt <em>safe </em>though, and was surprised to admit that the still-unfamiliar feeling of relying on a team wasn’t altogether unpleasant. He knew he was going to disappoint Caitlin, but his body pulled him towards the darkness of sleep and he let himself get lost in it.</p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Chapter 3 will be on its way shortly!<br/>Joe will be appearing soon too - love the relationship he has with Barry so I'm looking forward to writing it in to the story.<br/>Please let me know what you think so far...</p><p>Also, it seems the end note for chapter one added itself to the end of Chapter 2. Not quite sure how to fix this, hopefully its just a glitch on my end!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yikes, sorry it's taken me a while to get this up! I've had a crazy few weeks...trying to get some personal projects finished, going away racing, an impromptu Easter camping trip, and some unexpected health issues. And work. Lots and lots of work! </p><p>Took me a while to get this chapter written to a point where I was reasonably happy with it too. I've already started on the last chapter, hopefully that one won't take quite so long to get up! I also ended up finishing a one-shot which I'll post soon, and getting more done on another story I've been tinkering with as well. </p><p>All my work is un-beta'd too, so any mistakes are all mine! </p><p>This chapter is a little longer, hopefully it makes up for the wait.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p> </p><p>Caitlin leaned back in the chair at the desk in the cortex and linked her fingers together, stretching her arms above her head. It’d taken a few hours to register the ache setting across her shoulders, sending the first flickerings of a headache up her spine and into the back of her skull. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. Cisco was curled up, impossibly small and in a position which couldn’t possibly be comfortable, in a chair he’d dragged up from the storage room earlier. He’d positioned it deliberately in line-of-sight of the med-bay. Cisco’s soft snores could be heard from across the silent room, rivalled only by the faint beeping of the heart monitor beyond the doors.</p><p>Exhaustion had settled over them both after Caitlin had treated Barry and made sure he was resting, and after showering and changing into sweats and STAR Labs shirts, they’d both decided to stay overnight to keep an eye on their friend. Caitlin knew Wells had decided to stay on too, even though he hadn’t spoken a word to them after making sure Barry was stable and sleeping. The last she’d seen of him, he’d been heading down to Cisco’s workshop, muttering quietly about having things to work on, and that was hours ago. Cisco had flopped into the office chair at the desk before whining about how uncomfortable it was and Caitlin had tiredly waved him off to the storage room to find something more comfortable. This wasn’t the first time they’d pulled overnighters here; pre-explosion had seen them all spending countless late nights and all-nighters working on projects, but it was the first close call Barry had had that he’d needed rescuing from, and Caitlin knew it had rattled them all.</p><p>She kicked her shoes off under the desk and drew her chair closer, leaning forward and pillowing her head on her arms. It wasn’t much after nine, but she felt like the last five hours or so had dragged on for an age. Her eyelids drooped on their own accord and she let them close, allowing herself several blissful minutes to doze before hurried footsteps from the hall roused her again. She jerked up in her chair as Joe rounded the corner, his brows drawn in worry as he crossed over to where she stood.</p><p>‘How is he?’ He asked, peering past her towards the med-bay.</p><p>Caitlin blinked the weariness from her eyes, rolling her chair back and reluctantly rose to her feet. ‘He’s doing okay. He’ll heal, obviously, but I’m hoping he’ll take it easy for a while.’ She slipped her shoes back on and walked towards the next room, knowing that the detective would follow her.</p><p>She stood silently off to the side as Joe leaned against the doorframe, surveying his son quietly.</p><p>‘I just have him on some oxygen to take the pressure off his lungs until they’ve healed,’ she explained lowly as Joe’s eyes swept over the nasal cannula. Combined with the bandage wrapped around his head, it made Barry look awfully small on the bed and Joe’s heart skipped a beat at how scarily familiar this situation was.</p><p>‘He has a couple of cracked ribs, a fractured clavicle and a broken ankle. I didn’t need to set anything, they’ll heal on his own in the next few hours, but he has a nasty concussion which I’d like to keep an eye on.’ She gave Joe a reassuring smile. ‘He’ll feel a lot better in the morning. He was feeling pretty sore when we got him here, but he’s sleeping now.’</p><p>Joe nodded, scrubbing a weary hand across his chin. ‘Seeing him like this…its just too fresh. Too raw.’</p><p>Caitlin laid a comforting hand on his arm, steering him back into the cortex. ‘I know,’ she said softly. ‘I mean, I wasn’t close with him when he was in his coma but I knew how much pain it put you guys in. I feel like since I’ve got to know him now, I understand what that nine months put you through.’</p><p>Joe pursed his lips, looking away in a futile attempt to hide the glassy shine in his eyes. ‘I know that this-‘ he waved a hand around at the computers and suit mannequin ‘-what he’s doing, it’s amazing, and I couldn’t stop him if I tried, but he’s my <em>son, </em>even if its not by blood.’ He drew in a shaky breath. ‘I can’t lose him, not again.’</p><p>‘Today was a close call,’ Caitlin admitted. ‘But he’s fine, all things considered. He’s going to be fine.’</p><p>Joe was silent for a minute, face unreadable as he gazed into the darkened room where his son lay. ‘This time.’ His voice was heavy. Caitlin followed his gaze, and realised she didn’t have anything left to say.</p><p>Joe broke the quiet after a minute. ‘He’s been working himself to the bone,’ he sighed. ‘Between this and the precinct…he’s been looking so tired lately. I’m worried it’s too much for him.’</p><p>Before Caitlin could answer him, Cisco grunted and shifted on his chair. Slowly, his legs unfolded and he rolled his neck out, wincing a little. ‘Oh hey, Detective West.’ He blinked sleepily and stretched his stiff limbs out, climbing to his feet. ‘Man, we need to invest in some better chairs if this is gonna be a regular thing. How’s Barry?’</p><p>Caitlin groaned internally and stifled the urge to drop her face into her hands. Joe turned incredulous eyes his way and Cisco winced, backtracking quickly. ‘I mean not this - not because Barry gets hurt a lot, I mean, more if we’re gonna pull all-nighters…we work late here a lot?’<span class="Apple-converted-space"> he offered weakly. </span></p><p>Caitlin glared pointedly at the engineer and turned to Joe. ‘Do you want a coffee? Cisco and I are staying here tonight.’</p><p>Joe shook his head and rolled his shoulders wearily. ‘No, no, it’s fine. I’ve just finished a few back-to-back night shifts and if I have any more caffeine, I’m pretty sure I’ll have a heart attack. Singh let me leave tonight's one early after you called. I told him Barry had gone home sick.' he glanced around. 'Do you have a spare chair?’</p><p>Caitlin raised an eyebrow at him. ‘With all due respect, Joe, I don’t think he’s gonna wake up tonight and you look like you need the sleep as much as him.’</p><p>Joe went to protest, but Caitlin cut him off. ‘Go home. Get some sleep. We’ll call you if anything changes, okay?’</p><p>Joe’s shoulders fell, weariness settling over him like a blanket. He heaved a sigh. ‘Yeah…yeah. Okay.’ He levelled a gaze at the two of them. ‘Call me if <em>anything </em>changes, is that clear?’</p><p>‘Yessir!’ Cisco stood a little straighter and nodded vehemently.</p><p>Joe raised an eyebrow at the enthusiastic engineer before turning back to Caitlin. ‘Are you sure? I could-‘</p><p>‘Go,’ Caitlin gave him a reassuring smile and pushed him gently towards the hallway. ‘I’ll send you a text with any updates, and I’ll phone you if we need you.’</p><p>Joe sighed, allowing himself to be walked to the exit. ‘Yeah, yeah, okay. Means I'll just have to figure out what to tell Iris, she was expecting Barry at the house tonight and me to be on shift.' his expression was rueful. 'Good night guys, get some sleep too.’</p><p>‘We will.’ Caitlin promised him. She watched Joe’s retreating back until he was out of sight and then turned to Cisco. ‘Is there still that stack of blankets in the storage closet?’</p><p>Cisco frowned. ‘I think so? I haven’t exactly gone looking for them lately, though.’</p><p>Caitlin sighed tiredly and ran a hand through her hair, sweeping it away from her face. ‘Let’s go have a look. These chairs are uncomfortable and I’d like to get at least an hour’s sleep. Even if it is on a pile of blankets on the floor.’</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Cisco blinked, suddenly awake.</p><p>He rolled his head to the side, catching a glimpse of Caitlin ensconced in blankets on the floor a few feet away from him. Her slow, even breaths were almost inaudible. The cortex was almost dark, pinpricks of blue light diluting the darkness from the standby lights of the monitors around the room. He suppressed a groan and stretched out his aching back. The cortex floor didn’t make the most forgiving bed, even with the multiple blankets he’d piled on top of it and his muscles protested at the movement.</p><p>Cisco held his breath, blearily wondering what woke him until he heard the quiet, muffled whimper from the med bay. He frowned, worry speeding his heart rate up a little. Quietly, so as not to wake Caitlin, he pushed the scratchy woollen blankets off his legs and stood, padding barefoot towards the other room. He could hear the intermittent rustle of sheets punctuated by short, quick gasps and painful whimpers. Cisco bit his lip and quickened his pace, thankful that the dim glow from the monitor displaying Barry’s vitals bathed the room in enough light to see where he was going. ‘Barry?’ he whispered.</p><p>Barry didn’t answer, and when Cisco reached his side, he could see his friend’s face was bathed in a sheen of sweat, and his eyes were clamped shut. His hands fisted the sheet around his midsection, and as Cisco watched, Barry’s head pitched to the side and he moaned pitifully, before drawing in a stuttering breath.</p><p>Cisco’s concern ratcheted up a notch, and he reached a hand out and gripped Barry’s good shoulder lightly. ‘Barry? Hey man, are you okay?’</p><p>Once again, Barry didn’t answer him, but his face screwed up as if he was in pain and Cisco almost had to lean forward to catch the breathy ‘no…Mom’ that escaped Barry’s lips and accompanied the tear that rolled down his cheek.</p><p>Cisco’s heart plummeted. Barry was dreaming, and Cisco warred with the decision over whether to wake him or not. His mind was made up fairly quickly as Barry’s body twitched violently in his sleep and he began gasping shallowly, his hands fighting the sheet that had been tucked around his waist. <em>‘No, </em>no…no please.’</p><p>Cisco gripped Barry’s shoulder a little harder and shook it. ‘Barry! Hey, can you hear me man? Its okay, you’re okay. Wake up, dude.’ He vaguely registered the sound of Caitlin extricating herself from her own stack of blankets and hurrying over, her footsteps light and quick on the tiles.</p><p>‘He’s having a nightmare, I think.’ Cisco informed her over his shoulder as Barry’s movements became more frantic, his breathing quickening. More tears leaked from the corners of his eyes, painting faint streaks down the side of his face.</p><p>Caitlin quickly turned the overhead light on, dimming it so as not to alarm the speedster but allowing both her and Cisco a bit more light to see. She moved to the other side of the bed and ran her knuckles firmly up and down Barry’s sternum, watching his face for a reaction. ‘Barry, can you hear me? You’re having a nightmare.’</p><p>Barry’s only response was to clumsily try and push her hand away, eyes remaining screwed shut. Cisco glanced up at Caitlin, alarmed. Caitlin frowned. ‘I’m not sure if the concussion is making him harder to rouse, or if it’s something else. He’s responding to stimuli, but he’s not exactly waking up in a hurry.’</p><p>‘I don’t know how long he’s been like this,’ Cisco’s hand stayed planted on his friend’s shoulder. ‘He wasn’t this panicked when I came over, but it did wake me up-‘</p><p>He was cut off when Barry let out a sharp cry, back arching slightly on the bed. ’<em>No - Joe!’ </em>His hands began fighting against the leads plugged into the monitors, tangling in them, which only increased his panic and Caitlin startled into action, mostly concerned that he was about to rip his IV out. Barry began to sob haltingly, limbs shifting frantically under the blanket which had become even more twisted around him.</p><p>She met Cisco’s worried eyes. ‘Call Joe, I think we’re going to need him.’ She ground out as she attempted to keep the speedster’s hands still.</p><p>Cisco nodded sharply and stepped back from the bed, fumbling for his phone in his pocket. He squinted against the brightness of the screen and thumbed through the short list of contacts, jabbing his finger over Joe’s name. The phone rang three times before the line connected, and Joe’s voice, thick with sleep, came over the line. ‘Cisco? What’s wrong?’</p><p>‘Uh…I, <em>we, </em>think Barry’s having a nightmare.’ He stumbled over his words, keeping half an eye on Caitlin in case she needed assistance. ‘But we cant get him to wake up.’</p><p>He heard a rustling on the other end of the line as Joe got out of bed. ‘He hasn’t had nightmares in a long time,’ Joe sighed wearily. ‘At least, not that I’m aware of.’</p><p>Cisco heard him grunt softly, accompanied by background noise and more rustling as Joe pinned the phone between his shoulder and his ear. ‘Cisco, they can get pretty bad and he can be pretty hard to wake up. Caitlin said he has a concussion? I don’t think that’ll be helping things either.’ He paused for a second. ‘Keep trying to wake him up, okay? I’ll be there in ten.’ The line went dead, and Cisco pocketed his phone and returned to Barry’s side. Caitlin glanced up at him.</p><p>‘Joe’s on his way,’ Cisco explained. ‘Apparently this is nothing new for him.’</p><p>Caitlin’s gaze dropped to the speedster, her expression a mixture of sadness and sympathy. ‘Sometimes I forget we’ve only known him a short while.’ She said softly, rubbing Barry’s forearm comfortingly.</p><p>It took a few minutes, but Barry’s sobs subsided and his breathing evened out a little. He stopped thrashing, but his limbs still twitched intermittently. The STAR labs t-shirt they’d help him change into before they allowed him to sleep was drenched in sweat. Caitlin’s heart clenched painfully as she noted the trembling and the way Barry tried to curl in on himself as much as his injuries would allow. She’d only splinted his leg, as she figured it’d have more or less healed by the time he was to wake up in the morning. She was in the middle of rescuing the sheet tangled around Barry’s legs when Joe’s quick footsteps one again sounded in the hall.</p><p>‘Oh, Bear.’ He sighed, arriving at his son’s bedside and laying a hand on his sweaty forehead. ‘Did he wake up at all?</p><p>Caitlin shook her head, moving towards the monitors to check Barry’s vitals. ‘No, but he’s settled down a bit now. I was a little worried he was going to hurt himself with all the thrashing around.’</p><p>Joe smoothed back Barry’s sweat-slick hair from his forehead in a repetitive motion with one hand, and thumbed away a fresh tear that rolled down Barry’s cheek with the other. Barry’s head tilted towards him, face pinched and he whined in his sleep. ‘Shhh, Bear.’ He whispered. ‘Easy, son.’</p><p>Barry’s breathing evened out a little more, and he shifted subconsciously closer to his foster father. Joe hooked a leg through the chair that was pushed up against the wall opposite the hospital bed, and dragged it closer so he could sit by his son’s head without breaking the contact. ‘I think I’ll stay here tonight,’ he said to Caitlin and Cisco, fingers still carding through Barry’s hair. He sat back against the chair and closed his eyes wearily.</p><p>Cisco thumped tiredly back against the wall for support. ‘Not gonna lie, that was a little scary. I’ve never seen someone have a nightmare like that.’</p><p>Joe cracked his eyes open again, glancing down at Barry’s sleeping face. ‘They were bad like this after his Mom died,’ he admitted. ‘He’d wake me and Iris up most nights, for months after he came to live with us. Waking up to screaming down the hall isn’t exactly something you get used to in a hurry. Sometimes he’d wake up straight away and I’d have to sit with him for hours until he settled and went back to sleep, and other times it’d take ages to wake him up and he would just be so out of it.’ Joe looked pained as he recalled the long nights he spent sitting up with his foster kid. ‘It was almost like having a newborn in the house.’</p><p>‘He’s never mentioned them before,’ Caitlin said softly.</p><p>Joe grimaced. ‘I’m not surprised, he’s always been so embarrassed of them. He used to apologise to me and Iris for <em>burdening</em> us-‘ his face screwed up a little, as if the word left a bitter taste in his mouth. ‘-as if we didn’t know beforehand that taking in a traumatised kid would come with some challenges. It was always so hard to convince him that he wasn’t a burden.’ Joe swiped a hand over his mouth. ‘He’s gonna kill me for telling you guys all this.’</p><p>Cisco remained uncharacteristically quiet, brows drawn and arms wrapped around his middle. ‘Has he had them like this all this time?’</p><p>Joe heaved out a breath. ‘God, no. They got less and less frequent after about five or six months, and he’d have them intermittently as a teenager, especially if he was stressed out. He never said anything about them when he was away at college though, and then he’s had his own apartment for a while so I’m not sure if this is a one-off.’</p><p>The three of them sat in contemplative silence for a few minutes, before Caitlin moved over to Cisco and laid a hand on his arm. ‘Why don’t we all get some rest? Barry seems to have settled and we could all use some sleep.’</p><p>Joe nodded, kicking his shoes off and propping his socked feet up against the side of Barry’s bed. ‘Sounds like a plan, get some rest guys. I’ll keep an eye on him in case he wakes up.'</p><p>Caitlin nodded, steering Cisco back towards the cortex and the pile of blankets on the floor.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>A loud cry ripped through the med bay and Joe jerked in his chair, feet tangling on their descent from the side of the bed, and it was a pure miracle that he managed to catch himself and not end up in a heap on the floor as the chair skidded backwards on the tiles. </p><p>Barry's eyes were once again screwed shut, hands palming the sheet frantically, and stray tears mixed with the streams of sweat that rolled down from his hairline. He cried out again, marginally quieter this time, unintelligible words spilling from his lips. Joe's heart constricted painfully; it had been a <em>long </em>time since he'd had to deal with this, and it was almost worse seeing Barry in this much pain as an adult. </p><p>Joe planted one hand on his uninjured shoulder and used the other to smooth back his sweaty hair from his forehead. 'Barry! Son, wake up, it's just a nightmare. You're safe, you're safe.' </p><p>Joe had to stop himself from stepping back in surprise when Barry's eyes flew open and he jolted on the bed with a strangled gasp. Bleary, watery eyes darted around the room before landing on the detective, and Joe could see the wheels turning in Barry's head as he struggled to piece together reality. 'Joe?' he croaked. </p><p>Joe gave him a soft smile. 'Yeah Bear, it's me. You were having a nightmare.' He shifted back from the bed a little, but left his hand firmly on his son's shoulder. 'You okay?' </p><p>Barry scrubbed his hands over his face to clear the tear tracks, and took a shuddering breath. 'Y-yeah, I think so. Sorry if I woke you.' his gaze dropped to his hands, now in his lap, and he picked at the tape holding the IV in place on the back of his hand. Awareness crept into his senses suddenly, and he jerked his head up to look at his foster father. 'What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home?' </p><p>Joe suppressed a frown as he noticed the trembling that Barry was trying to hide. 'I was at home,' he said, gently. 'Cisco rang me a few hours ago, you had another nightmare but they couldn't wake you, so they called me.' </p><p>Embarrassment flared on Barry's cheeks and he tilted his head back on the pillow, cupping his hands over his face to hide it. 'Oh god.' he groaned, the sound muffled behind his hands. </p><p>Joe squeezed his shoulder sympathetically. 'They were just worried about you, Bear. Blame it on the concussion, if you like.' He was actually surprised the two of them hadn't come running in already, but a quick check over his shoulder confirmed they were hanging back, just outside the doorway, taking his lead by the looks of it. 'Which is something else we can talk about in the morning.' he scolded, only half-jokingly. </p><p>Barry didn't say anything, but his hands dropped slowly from his face, and he closed his eyes and shivered. Joe frowned. 'Are you cold?' </p><p>'Yeah-no...I'm not sure.' Barry's voice was quiet, thick with exhaustion. Joe disentangled the sheet and the blanket from where Barry had pushed them, and drew them up around his shoulders. Barry snuggled gratefully into them, head tilting towards Joe and prompting the older man to cup his cheek with a warm hand, much like he used to do when Barry was a kid. His eyes remained closed, but Joe heard a whispered 'thanks Joe' and he smiled. 'You okay, kid?' </p><p>Barry nodded against his palm, and let out a shaky sigh. 'Yeah, I think so.' he paused for a beat, before continuing softly. 'Will you stay?' </p><p>'Of course, son.' Joe settled back in his chair, resigning himself to the fact he was going to have a numb hand in the morning and that he was doing his back no favours, but there wasn't much he wouldn't do for that kid. He glanced over at Caitlin and Cisco who'd shifted into the doorway, and gave them a reassuring nod. Caitlin returned his nod and she and Cisco turned and disappeared back into the darkness of the cortex. </p><p>Joe waited until Barry's breathing had evened out in sleep. Checking his watch, he grimaced at the time. He supposed a few hours sleep would be better than none. </p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Whew. First chapter down.<br/>Second chapter will be uploaded shortly, its nearly done!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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